Healthy Okra Snack

When I was younger, I was not a particularly picky eater, however, I vividly recall there was one vegetable that seemingly ALL my friends used to love and I used to detest. Okra.

It had an unmistakably slimy texture and no matter what masala was added to it, it would never mask that texture. Yet most of my friends, used to love it and, if given the chance, would probably have loved to have it for dinner, every day. Unfathomable.

Now, 20 years on, I can safely say that I can actually see why people may enjoy it! It really is all about the way the okra is cooked. That gooey, slimy texture I wasn't a fan of? You can actually prevent that!! It literally all comes down to the way it's cooked!

I only realised after I tasted it prepared a particular way, with potatoes (it's all about that balance of textures). Recipe coming soon. For today, however, I'm going to let OKRA be the star of the dish without any 'taters. :D

How to prevent okra from being slimy?

Glad you asked! I did a bit of research (thank you, Google) and here are some okra cooking hacks I wish I'd known sooner:

Once you wash the okra, dry it out. Completely. Pat dry with a kitchen towel/ tea towel. It's the moisture that makes okra slimy, so all these steps ensure the moisture content isn't retained.
When cooking, cook with oil. Oil is hydrophobic (doesn't attract water) so it creates a sort of water shield against the water (yay!).
Also when cooking, cook the okra uncovered. This allows as much of the water to evaporate which means, less slimy okra! Winning!

That's all there is to it! I realised we used to cook the okra covered hence the slime. So now we know! Now, add some spices and we've got ourselves a delicious, tasty and healthy dish!

Here's a super simple recipe that requires minimal spices, a large wok/ pan and, BEST part, is perfect for ALL Ayurveda doshas! Is it super easy or what?! Let me know if the okra tips helped!

Ayurveda Dosha Compatability

Vata

Pitta

Kapha

Instructions

Wash, then completely dry okra using a tea towel. Cut the ends, then slice each okra lengthwise.
In a small bowl, make a paste using the ground cumin seeds, coriander powder, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Spoon a bit of the paste onto each okra slice.
In a wok, medium flame, heat oil and crackle whole cumin seeds. Then add the okra, green chilli and salt. Mix well. Saute till okra is soft and cooked.
Serve hot :)